Illuminating inflatable balloon

ABSTRACT

An illuminated inflatable balloon, with an envelope inflated with a gas, is connected to the ground by an elongate element. The envelope encloses an electrical bulb connected to an electrical power supply. Spring loaded filar elements are sensitive to the deformation of the envelope, as well as the internal pressure of the gas. The spring loaded filar elements cooperate with a control hairpin for actuating a switch interposed in the connection between the bulb and the electrical supply in order to make and break the connection on either side of a predetermined threshold.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to an improvement to inflatable andpossibly illuminating balloons.

2. Description of Related Art

Balloons are known which comprise an envelope that can be inflated witha gas, which are capable of being connected to the ground by an elongateelement in such a way that the balloon inflated with a lighter-than-airgas can be kept at a certain height from the ground, and which enclose ameans of illumination capable of being connected to an electrical powersupply, for example the mains, by means of a conducting wire, in such away that the balloon and the inscriptions that its envelope may carrycan be easily seen, especially at night.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The improvement according to the invention is such that the ballooncomprises actuation means which are sensitive to the deformation of thesaid envelope and/or to the pressure of the gas in this envelope and arecapable of acting on a member for actuating switching means interposedin the connection between the said illumination means and the saidelectrical power supply in order to make/break this connection on eitherside of at least one defined threshold.

According to the invention the said actuation means are preferablyarranged at least partly inside the said envelope.

According to a preferred embodiment, the said actuation means compriseat least one filar element extending in the said envelope and connectingpart of this envelope to the said actuation member, placed at anotherpoint on the periphery of this envelope.

In a variant, the said actuation means may comprise at least one springforming, at least partly, the said filar element and acting before thesaid switching means are actuated.

In another variant, the said actuation means may comprise at least onespring acting in the direction counter to the tension in the said filarelement and acting before the said switching means are actuated.

In another variant, the said actuation means may comprise at least onefirst spring forming, at least partly, the said filar element and atleast one second spring acting in the direction counter to the tensionin the said filar element, the first spring having an elongationcoefficient greater than that of the second spring.

According to the invention, the said actuation means may advantageouslycomprise a support-plate fastened to the said envelope and carrying inthis envelope a bearing surface, one of the ends of the said springacting in the direction counter to the tension in the said filar elementbeing placed against this bearing surface, on the side of thissupport-plate, and the said actuation member comprising a part extendingthrough this spring and having a part on which the other end of thisspring bears.

According to the invention, the said actuation member may advantageouslycomprise a filar element having the shape of a hairpin, the branches ofwhich extend through the said spring and the ends of the branches ofwhich are bent, the said filar element being connected to the loop ofthis hairpin and the said spring bearing on these bent-over ends.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present invention will be better understood by studying a balloondescribed by way of non-limiting example and depicted in the drawing inwhich:

FIG. 1 depicts a balloon in the inflated state;

FIG. 2 depicts the balloon according to claim 1 in the slightly deflatedstate;

FIG. 3 depicts, in enlarged view and in vertical section, the lower partof the aforementioned balloon, the balloon being inflated;

FIG. 4 depicts a view corresponding to FIG. 3, the balloon being atleast partially deflated;

FIG. 5 depicts an enlarged vertical section of the lower part of theaforementioned balloon, perpendicular to FIG. 4;

and FIG. 6 depicts a view from above of that lower part of theaforementioned balloon depicted in FIGS. 3 to 5.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The balloon depicted in FIGS. 1 and 2 comprises an envelope 2, made of atransparent or translucent flexible material for example, which, when itis inflated with a lighter-than-air gas for example, has the shape of asphere.

This envelope has, at its upper part or North Pole, a circular passagein which a support-plate 3 is fixed in a sealed manner and has, at itslower part or South Pole, a circular opening in which a support-plate 4is fixed in a sealed manner.

Between the support-plate 3 and the support-plate 4, the balloon 1 has afilar element 5 which comprises a flexible wire 6, the upper end ofwhich is fixed in a known manner to the upper support-plate 3, and aspiral spring 7, the upper end of which is fixed to the lower end of thewire 6 and the lower end of which is connected to the support-plate 4,as will be described later.

Fixed to the wire 6 is a bulb support 8 carrying two opposed bulbs 9 and10.

As may be seen in FIG. 1, when the balloon 1 is in the inflated state,the filar element 5 extends vertically along a diagonal of the envelope2, the spring 7 being tensioned.

When the balloon is inflated, the support 8 carrying the bulbs 9 and 10is substantially in the middle of the filar element 5, substantiallyequidistant from the support-plates 3 and 4.

When the balloon 1 is deflated by intentional or unintentional releaseof the gas contained in the envelope 2, the length of the filar element5 decreases, especially due to the effect of the tension caused by thespring 7, the upper part of the envelope 2 comes down and the lower partof the envelope tends to move closer to the vertical axis in such a waythat the balloon adopts, in cross-section, substantially the shape of aheart or of a pear.

As may be seen in FIGS. 3 to 6, the support-plate 4 is arranged on theoutside of the envelope 2 and its peripheral part is coupled to a ring11 arranged inside the envelope 2 by means of screws 12 distributed onthe periphery, the edge of the aforementioned lower opening in theenvelope 2 being held between the peripheral part of the support-plate 4and this ring 11, a seal 13 being interposed between this edge of theenvelope 2 and the support-plate 4. The upper support-plate is fixed inan equivalent manner.

At its central part, the support-plate 4 has a cylindrical projectingpart 14 which extends towards the interior of the envelope 2.

Arranged in this projecting part 14 is a spiral spring 15, the upper endof which bears against a circlip 16 fitted in the upper part of thiscylindrical part 14.

The lower end of the spring 7 is fixed to the loop 17 of a hairpin 18which has two branches 19 and 20 that extend downwards through thespring 15 and which has ends 21 and 22 bent radially outwards,substantially parallel to the support-plate 4, the end of the spring 15bearing on these bent-over parts 21 and 22.

In order to allow the branches 21 and 22 of the hairpin 18 to passthrough laterally, the cylindrical projecting part 14 has twodiametrically opposed vertical slots 23 and 24 open towards the top. Inorder to limit the downward travel of the hairpin 18 due to the effectof the extension of the spring 15, these slots 23 and 24 have a definedlength so that the bent-over parts 21 and 22 of the hairpin 18 bearagainst the bottom of them.

On one side, the cylindrical part 14 of the support-plate 4 carries anelectrical switch 25, the moving actuation contact 26 of which islocated vertically so as to face the end part 21 of the hairpin 18.

The balloon 1 furthermore has a sheathed electrical cable 27, one end ofwhich is fixed to the support-plate 4 in a sealed manner by means of aknown nut system 28 and the other end of which is capable of being fixedto the ground so as to be able to keep the balloon in the inflated stateat a defined height.

The electrical conductors 29, which are contained in the cable 27 andwhich emerge inside the cylindrical part 14, pass through a hole 30 madein the wall of this cylindrical part and are electrically connected tothe switch 25, the latter being electrically connected to the bulbs 9and 10 via a conductor of appropriate length.

As may be seen in particular in FIG. 3, when the balloon 1 is in theinflated state the spring 7 is tensioned and the spring 15 iscompressed, the hairpin 18 being in a high position in such a way thatits end part 21 is in its high position and that the actuation contact26 of the switch 25 makes the electrical connection between theconductor 29, connected to the ground to an electrical power supply, andthe bulbs 9 and 10 which are then lit up.

When the balloon 1 deflates, as was seen above, the distance between thesupport-plates 3 and 4 decreases, while the filar element 5 remainstensioned due to the effect of the spring 7, the length of whichprogressively decreases.

Since the elongation coefficient of the spring 7 is chosen so as to bequite appreciably greater than the elongation coefficient of the spring15 which acts in the direction counter to the tension established in thefilar element 5, within a defined length of the filar element 5, thehairpin 18 moves downwards in such a way that its end part 21 bears onthe actuation contact 26 of the switch 25 in order to bring it into itsretracted position seen in FIG. 4, in which position the circuitsupplying the bulbs 9 and 10 is broken.

By means of the combination of the springs 7 and 15 in opposition, thevariation in length of the filar element 5, enabling the switch 25 topass from its on position to its off position, is short. This enables,at least partly the bulbs 9 and 10 to be prevented from flashing.

Thus the aforementioned safety means for switching the bulb-supplyingcircuit on and off are subjected to the variation in the shape of theenvelope 2 which itself depends on the pressure in this envelope.

Additionally, as may be seen in particular in FIG. 5, the support-plate4 is equipped with a valve 31 enabling the balloon 1 to be inflated.This support-plate furthermore has through-passages 32 covered on theouter side by a plate 33 forming a safety valve, this plate 33 having apin 34 passing through the support-plate 4, a return spring 35 beinginterposed between the inner end of the pin 34 and the inner face of thesupport-plate 4.

The present invention is not limited to the examples describedhereinabove. Many alternative embodiments are possible without departingfrom the scope defined by the appended claims.

I claim:
 1. An illuminated inflatable balloon, comprising:an envelopeinflated with a gas, said envelope being connected to the ground by anelongate element; illumination means enclosed within said envelope andelectrically connected to an electrical power supply; actuation meanssensitive to one of a deformation of said envelope and a variation in aninternal pressure of the gas in said envelope, said actuation meanscooperating with a control member; and switching means interposed in theelectrical connection between said illumination means and saidelectrical power supply, said electrical switching means being actuatedby said control member in order to manipulate the electrical connectionbetween an open position when said internal pressure within saidenvelope is on a first side of a predetermined threshold and a closedposition when said internal pressure within said envelope is on a secondside of said predetermined threshold.
 2. The illuminated inflatableballoon according to claim 1, wherein said actuation means is arrangedat least partly inside said envelope.
 3. The illuminated inflatableballoon according to claim 1, wherein said actuation means comprise atleast one filar element extending in said envelope, and connecting partof said envelope to said control member, placed at another point on theperiphery of said envelope.
 4. The illuminated inflatable balloonaccording to claim 3, wherein said actuation means comprise a firstspring forming said filar element and being active before tripping ofsaid switching means to an OFF position.
 5. The illuminated inflatableballoon according to claim 4, wherein said actuation means comprise asecond spring acting in the opposite direction of said filar element,before tripping of said switching means to the OFF position.
 6. Theilluminated inflatable balloon according to claim 5, wherein said firstspring has an elongation coefficient greater than that of the secondspring.
 7. The illuminated inflatable balloon according to claim 5,wherein said actuation means further comprises:a support-plate fastenedto said envelope and carrying a bearing surface in said envelope; afirst end of said second spring being placed against said bearingsurface, on the side of said support-plate; and said control memberincluding a first part extending through said second spring, and asecond part coming into engagement with a second end of said secondspring.
 8. The inflatable illuminated balloon according to claim 7,wherein said control member comprises a filar element having a hairpinshape, said filar element being provided with a loop and two branchesextending through said second spring and having a pair of bent-overends, said filar element being connected to said loop so that saidsecond spring bears on said bent-over ends.